The Metaphysical View of Death and Life After Death Part 9

In this section we will deal with some of the phenomena relevant to our discussion on the subject of death as probed into by researchers on the paranormal. Two of the most interesting of these phenomena that have been researched into in recent years by scientists of varied disciplines and which indicates the plausibility, and perhaps proof of the survival of consciousness from the scientific angle, are the "Out-of-the-Body Experience" (OBE) and "Near Death Experience" (NDE). These two phenomena are just two of the many ways that the afterdeath state or the survival of the consciousness may be known. Other methods of the occult tradition, however, may include meditation, and spiritualism, or channeling. Psychic phenomena that indicate life after death are those of apparitions, hauntings, possessions, and reincarnation claims. In this section we will specifically discuss OBEs and NDEs and their association with the after-death state; aside from these we will also briefly look into the practice of hypnotherapy, where it is used as a tool to successfully regress patients to the pre-natal state to uncover their life experiences in the higher planes prior to birth.

These experiences of subjects describe in some detail of the nature and life in the higher dimensions, or subtle realms. The findings of hypnotherapy substantiate certain long held assertions and claims of psychics, occultists and metaphysicians concerning the nature of "death." In addition to OBEs and NDEs, we will, therefore, consider what hypnotherapy has uncovered through the practice of regression, as the findings are surprisingly similar to the occult tradition. Parapsychological phenomena offer us a glimpse of what contemporary scientists are discovering about the nature and survival of the human psyche through the "great initiation," as death is often called among initiates of Mystery schools. The survival of the soul through the change called death is on the verge of being openly acknowledged by scientists and scholars of academic circles. Why, there have even been scientists that declared that the soul weighs 2 grams!


NDEs

Although NDEs are laboriously researched into in modern times, this phenomenon was known centuries ago by savants such as Henry Cornelius Agrippa, and even scholars of the ancient Greek period. Agrippa remarks in his Three Books of Occult Philosophy that Plato was well familiar with the subject of NDEs and even recorded one such NDE case in his work, "The Republic," where he relates the story of a certain individual named Phereus of Pamphilia who was slained in battle and laid with the dead for several days in a comatose state until he returned to tell the tale of his wanderings in the netherworld. The phenomenon of NDEs is likewise no stranger to Eastern cultures. Tibetans, for instance, are well familiar with this psychological anomaly. They call such a person who returns from the threshold of death, "Delog." Tibetan delogs relate experiences remarkably similar to their western counterparts eventhough coloured by their cultural framework.

NDEs were probably first brought to the attention to the scientific community and society in general by medical doctors and nurses. There are literally hundreds of cases on medical record where dying patients were clinically pronounced "dead," only to revive moments later in a spontaneous manner or resuscitated with the aid of medical instruments. Clinical death is where the consciousness, reflexes, respiration and cardiac activities are suspended; it differs from biological death where the organism begins to deteriorate gradually on the cellular level. This activity of dissolution is, however, counterbalanced with a form of nourishment to certain parts of the body, and this accounts for the phenomena of the growth of hair and nails found on those who were long dead and buried but exhumed for certain reasons.

Delogs of both eastern and western cultures, testify of their visions and encounters with beings, and experiences of certain conditions or events that their soul was going through in the transition state as it left the physical body before being redrawn into physical consciousness. In NDEs, the transition in progress is always somehow interrupted for one reason or another enforcing the soul's return to the physical world. Although some scientists are skeptical as to the nature of these experiences, these "deathbed" visions, labelling them as "hallucinations," there are others who are convinced that delogs do in fact relate actual events occurring in different dimensional spheres. Skeptics, nevertheless, are adamant in attributing NDEs to various physical causes such as mental illnesses, anoxia, brain fever, stress, chemical or hormonal imbalance, temporal lobe seizures, drugs, anesthetics, etc. Such skeptics even attribute consciousness or the awareness-principle to chemical action and reaction in the brain. Notwithstanding these assertions of skeptics, however, it should be acknowledged that hallucinations through drugs do indicate a similarity in imagery as that of the bardo; and in a sense, certain things seen in the afterdeath state are indeed hallucinations. From the occult point of view, drugs, like the process of transition, trigger the release of subconscious images and project them onto the screen of consciousness. The images in both cases are hallucinations, but the experiences are genuine. In both cases the survival of consciousness is not disproved. Skeptics are not able to prove the annihilation of consciousness through the great change. When the matter is investigated with any seriousness though, skeptics are often instead faced with indications pointing to the possibility and plausibility of the immortality of the awareness-principle. Concerning the nature of deathbed visions, Ian Currie, paranormal researcher and author of "You Cannot Die" comments:

"Our efforts to `explain' deathbed experiences by finding normal, ordinary causes for them have ended in complete failure. They cannot be explained by the medical condition of the dying person nor by the state of his mind, nor by his religion or cultural background . . . the only remaining possibility is that they are genuine psychic experiences" (1995:175)

The majority of NDEs share common elements. A common characteristic of the experiences of delogs, for instance, is their sense of soul-transition as something joyful and idyllic. Resuscitated subjects claim that the dying process is a blissful or a beautiful experience. Some report of even strongly fighting the urge to return to the physical form because of the strong attachment to the dying experience. There are other common characteristics of NDE that researchers have found to be impressive such as a sense of peace, painlessness and weightlessness; a sense of being discarnated and dead but alive in a euphoric sense; a perception of oneself being surrounded by deceased friends and relatives, or a spiritual being of light waiting to receive or greet the soul; a tunnel experience where one sees a white brilliance at the distance; a life-review and a sense of ascending towards the heavens; a sense of mental lucidity; a heightened psychic awareness where one perceives grieving friends and relatives; a sense of being conveyed by a guide or a current of energy to one's soul destination in the subtle spheres; visions of beautiful landscapes and sounds of heavenly music, etc.

Paranormal researchers have been very impressed by the fact that NDEs cause a very profound transformational effect on the psyche of those who undergo the experience. They have found that the moral quality of delogs improve dramatically by transitional experiences. A reverence for life, among other spiritual qualities, was one of the characteristical expressions of transformed subjects. Psychic abilities are often developed as a result of NDEs. This alchemical transformation of the psyche through a NDE is very much akin to the psychological transformation that occurs to astronauts as they orbit above the earth in outer space.

The accounts of deathbed visions of NDEs very much parallel the visions of psychics and mystics. Incidentally, psychics who were witnessed to deathbed events, confirm the statements of the dying who were undergoing an NDE or a real transition, of the presence of discarnate beings waiting to fetch or greet them on the Otherside. Sometimes discarnate beings in the presence of the dying are seen by ordinary individuals as well. When more than one individual perceives the same thing at the same given moment, it can hardly be called a hallucination, especially when animals also react to such apparitions. Such psychic visions capture the attention and fascination of the dying and weary soul to the point where the attachments to earthly ties are forgotten and the desire for release augmented. In the same work as the above, Ian Currie sums up the core phenomena of deathbed visions that are universal to NDEs-visions that goes beyond one's cultural background or religious beliefs:

"1) Most of the apparitions seen by the dying were `other-worldly'-dead close relatives and religious figures.

"2) Most of them were there `to take the dying away to another existence.'

"3) Most of the dying were eager to accept the invitation and `go'-by dying.

"4) Most landscapes visions were of `otherworldly' scenery of such compelling beauty that the dying did not wish to remain in this world.

"5) Medically-inexplicable mood elevation occurred in some patients shortly before death." (1995:175)


OBEs

Like NDEs, the phenomenon of Out-of-Body-Experiences was also widely known to ancient mystics and psychics; but unlike NDEs, OBEs, commonly called astral projection in the occult tradition, is an innate ability of the soul to voluntary project its subtle form and consciousness--and this occult ability may be unfolded with the aid of psychic exercises and occult procedures; or induced through the use of certain hallucinogenic herbs or mushrooms. OBEs may occur spontaneously, or enforced in some cases--as through accidents or anesthetics; but usually it is a voluntary practice in the occult arts.

Astral projection may be said to be the externalization or exteriorization of the consciousness from the physical form. In OBEs one feels and perceives oneself aware and functioning in a subtle, or astral body. In most cases, the astral senses perceive the physical form to be lying dormant and asleep as it emerges from the physical body. Usually though, this step is bypassed and the consciousness finds itself in another world, time, or place where physical laws do not apply. According to occultists, the quality or evolutionary status of the human soul and mind, as well as its willful expression may determine the nature of the astral form, and this very principle is being discovered by paranormal researchers. Although normally appearing as a counterpart of the physical form, the astral body is plastic-like, and may appear in any form imagined--and this quality is often taken advantage of by practicing occultists. Creative thought energy is a force that is often utilized by occultists to mould the astral form. Lycantrophy, or the so-called superstition of the metamorphosis of a human physical form into a werewolf is probably an occult practice based on the mind exerting its creative force upon the protean quality of the astral form within a certain mental matrix. It is reasonable to regard the shape-shifting of shamanism, of lycantrophy, to be of the astral form rather than the physical. In the Tibetan Tradition, one of the six realms is the world of animals. This refers to a locality within the lower astral realms where carnal and animalistic souls congregate or "incarnate." Such souls with animal characteristics and traits assume animal forms as mentioned elsewhere in this work.

The transformable or unstable form of the astral body that occurs in OBEs is reflected in the statement of Filipo Liverziani in his book "Life, Death & Consciousness," who along the lines of parapsychology, wrote concerning the OBE experience that:

"The projector may thus become aware of having the form of a small cloud, a wad of cotton or a luminous ball floating in space, just as he may see himself as possessing a very clearly defined human form that closely resembles that of his physical body." (1991:33)

There are often cases in OBE phenomena where both astral and physical bodies are seen at the same time--although at different places. Technically, this is called bilocation. This phenomenon occurs when intentionally or unintentionally the vibrations of the astral form are lowered or densified with etheric substance, thus making it visible to physical perception momentarily--only to disappear at an unannounced moment. OBE subjects under such circumstances are often mistaken for "ghosts," by Man and animals. In fact, a high percentage of ghost sightings of the so-called dead, are in fact sightings of the astral form of living human beings. As a side-interest, we may presume that, therefore, there are three kinds of apparitions: that of the dead, the living and the dying--the dying person, like the normal living individual, may spontaneously or unintentionally astral project to close relatives and friends. Apparitions of the dead and of the living share many common characteristics and abilities. This is stated emphatically by Ian Currie:

"Both the living and the dead have appeared as apparitions, been responsible for hauntings, communicated through mediums, appeared in death-bed visions, provided post-mortem accounts, spoken of a reincarnational past, and possessed the bodies of the living . . ." (1995:141)

From what we have stated so far, we may surmise that the trained mind may affect the astral form in various ways--it may affect the form of the astral, its density or frequency, and its locomotion. The astral form is described in parapsychological literature as being able to appear in three varying densities: as "invisible-permeable," where it is invisible to physical perception, and physical objects offer no resistance as to its movement; as "transparent-semi-permeable," where it appears as a haze to physical sight and somewhat subjected to physical laws; and "solid-appearance--impermeable to matter," where it appears and behaves like a regular physical form and completely subjected to the laws of three-dimensionality. It should also be noted that the mind, when occultly trained and working through the astral form--and by manipulating etheric energies--may cause such psychic phenomena as the teleportation or the movement of objects. This is probably one of the many causes of the poltergeist phenomenon which is actually an unconscious manipulation of energy done by human subjects.

It is interesting to note how perception through astral senses differ from the physical. Unlike the five senses of the physical body, the astral senses are reported to be diffused throughout the astral form. Subjects of OBEs declare that they were able to see in all directions at once, that they possessed a 340-degree vision. Objects in the physical world are not perceived in the same way as through physical sight, though. Through astral eyes, earthly objects are said to appear "transparent." According to reports, the magnetic emanations of objects are more easily seen than the physical forms themselves; and as for astral forms in general, objects in the astral world were discovered by adepts of astral projection to be "mental constructs" at the personal and collective level.

Among occult adepts living in the physical plane, as well as discarnates of the subtle spheres, the astral condition is often utilized as a media of contact between dimensions. In the astral form one is free of certain limitations or restrictions where time and space are concerned. This very fundamental law of the higher worlds is an important tool utilized by highly evolved entities to promptly attend and assist incarnated souls (or even discarnate ones) in aligning and harmonizing themselves with what may be called soul-destiny in conformity with the Divine Plan. These guides are sometimes called guardian angels or invisible helpers. These invisible helpers, whether from the physical plane or higher worlds, function as protectors, guides, and as the inner voice of incarnated souls. Hunches and intuitive impressions are often derived from these beings. They also provide strength and courage to souls who are in need of moral support.

These guardian spirits, as stated above, do not always come from higher spheres. Some of these entities are ordinary human beings with the occult ability to astral project. More often than not, they are highly evolved with much soul experience and are able to minister and offer counsel to suffering or wayward souls, or even to fulfill certain prayers addressed to the Great One. In the case of possessions or hauntings it is normally the exorcist who acts on the physical plane as counselor to the lost, confused, or "earth-bound" soul. It should be noted that not all souls may accept the proffered help by invisible guides or exorcists. In the case of possessions, such entities are forcefully ejected from the hold that they have on their victims. Generally, invisible helpers only assist and guide souls who request such help. This very principle is recognized by Liverziani who comments in his aforementioned book:

"In the spiritual world of the other dimensions it is not possible to help somebody who does not want to be helped. Help is made effective only by the fact that those who stand in need become aware of this and therefore ask for help, accept it, and collaborate with those who give it." (1991:132)

It will be helpful here to enumerate the various points of experiences as reported by OBE subjects. According to paranormal investigators, subjects of OBEs, and collaborated by subjects of NDEs declare the following sensations and discoveries pertaining to the astral body and world:

1) A feeling of being very much alive and more mentally lucid than while being brain/body bound.

2) A feeling of euphoria, of peace profound and joy, with full possession of mental faculties.

3) A feeling of possessing a novel body with a protean quality, alterable with the use of the will--with the use of thought and desire; and that it may be densified so as to be physically visible.

4) Discovery that locomotion is driven through the use of the will.

5) Discovery that the astral body may be subtle enough to pass through physical objects and that it may be densified where interaction with the physical environment may be effected or desired.

6) Discovery that the astral form and awareness may influence the psychosomatic principles of sentient beings, as in the phenomena of psychic healing and possession.

7) Discovery that the psychic senses are heightened or enhanced; and that the consciousness functioning in full awareness in the astral world, activities in the astral realms may be engaged in.

8) Discovery that the astral or mental environment may be personally "created."

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore

The Metaphysical View of Death and Life After Death Part 2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

When a Sadguru, or spiritual master first receives a novice or a candidate seeking Truth, one of the first steps that the master would assure himself is the sincerity and the purity of motive of the candidate requesting initiation into the mysteries. In order to augment or instill this sincerity and pure motive when absent, the master would speak to the candidate regarding death. The master would advise the candidate to contemplate upon the meaning of death and the opportunity that life provides. The master would refer to the fact that death often comes, stealth-like, at an unannounced moment; that to be engrossed with trivialities is to waste one's life; that there are no guarantees in life except for death. The chela is made to ask, "what is the purpose of life if death cuts us down at our prime, leaving us with ambitions, aspirations and unfulfilled dreams? What is the purpose of life--and death, if we are not able to take along with us through the portals of death our prized possessions, our titles, our fame, our temporal power?"

The spiritual master would be quick to point out that the true purpose of life has very little to do with the earthly, evanescent riches or power that we acquire, it has more to do with the immaterial wealth that we take along with us--our knowledge; our memories; our improved karma, habits and character; and our spiritual and psychic development. Earthly acquisitions fail to offer any help to the one undergoing transition. We each face death alone; and in death, stripped of all mundane superficialities, we come to realize our own true worth. And so, the chela, with perhaps impure motives at the outset, comes to understand after some spiritual guidance, and a prolonged contemplation and analysis of death--as related to life--that the aim, purpose, importance and goal of personal existence in this physical sphere with its many opportunities are for gaining freedom, perfection, salvation, enlightenment, and the ascension.

We should all be aware that death may come to us at any moment, this will motivate us to direct our minds into proper perspectives, and to get our priorities straight. To eat, drink, and be merry as advertisements tell us, as the philosophies of the fallen angels would have us learn, is to be sidetracked from occupying ourselves with our "Father's business."

Like the disciple referred to above, in this paper it is our intention to delve into the nature of death and its process so that we will come to know a greater life, and appreciate its intrinsic value. We will also consider the nature of certain aspects of life after transition, for this expands our spiritual horizon, and it offers us a glimpse into man's glorious future. Our main themes in this paper will be related to the following:

1) The survival of personal consciousness.

2) The process of transition.

3) The nature of life after so-called death.


The Survival of Personal Consciousness

The average person often wonders if consciousness survives death. We have commented and alluded previously on the indestructible nature of energy. There can, therefore, be no dissolution of the essence of Soul, or rather Spirit--not even through the process of transition. The forms, the structured energy-fields that the Spirit and Soul indwell and embody may change, but the essence, the spiritual aspect of the microcosm, the Monad, the SELF, is immortal. Religion, mysticism, and psychicism, refers to this verity. If a person is to know this particular truth of the survival of consciousness, he or she must learn to expand the consciousness and to spiritualize his or her mind in order to be aware and function consciously in the higher planes. Failure to realize spiritual verities label us as "dead"--a term referred to by the Piscean Master in the gospel narratives to people who are closed to the higher worlds and spiritual truths. People suffering from spiritual myopia live in physical tombs and not temples; such persons do not care much about the higher worlds and their relation to them; these individuals limit their awareness and deaden their consciousness in a three-dimensional slumber. Individuals with limited minds do not see the whole picture of life's purpose.

The writer of this paper firmly believes, or is convinced in the ability of consciousness to exist apart from the physical body. We had, personally, experienced many spontaneous astral projections, and many lucid dreams. Although experiences of astral projections may not objectively prove the survival of consciousness after death, it does give us some inkling of what it may be like to exist independently of the physical form; it also provides us with some reason for accepting the possibility and the high probability of the survival of consciousness. The reality and proof of the survival of personal consciousness itself may be acquired through one's personal interaction and relationship with the so-called dead. This normally occurs unconsciously in one's sleep and dreams, however, it may occur with full astral awareness or in the awaking consciousness. Lucid dreams are typical of the former type, whereas visitations or psychic materializations are of the latter. If we are able to contact the so-called dead who once were people living in the physical world and resume relationships with them, is this not proof that personal consciousness survives transition? Although this rhetorical-question is simplistic in form and incapable of offering positive proof regarding the survival of consciousness, being subjective in nature, and which does not carry any weight under scientific scrutiny, it does imply that some materialistically-oriented individuals are unwilling to attend to the reality experienced by others because of prejudice, pride, fear and cultural conditioning. How does the average man view death, what does he actually believe about it? Society has various beliefs concerning death, and what it entails, below are just some of these beliefs:

1) The cessation of consciousness and the annihilation of Self.

2) The termination of human relationships, and the loss of loved ones.

3) The termination of physical activities, of goals, ambitions and aspirations.

4) The passage into an unknown world or state of consciousness.

5) The facing of the Judgment and the accountability of one's sins--the fear of eternal punishment in an everlasting hell, or in contrast, pleasure, rest and idleness in Paradise.

6) Physical, emotional, and mental agony in the death process.

As we will see in later chapters, all of these beliefs are unfounded. The nature of life after transition is only unknown to those who do not seek to know. There is also no true severance of human relationships; and an eternal hell is non-existent, although a certain degree of pain and scorching may be experienced when impure substances present in the astral and mental bodies are removed by a purifying fire. Death is not the end of anything; it is a continuation of what has gone on before. Rumi, the Sufi poet, speaks of this truth in the following oft-quoted verse:

"I died a mineral and became a plant;

"I died a plant and rose an animal.

"I died an animal and I was a man.

"Why should I fear? When was I less by dying?

"Yet once more I shall die as man, so to soar

"With blessed angels; even from angelhood

"I must pass on . . .

"When I have sacrificed my angel soul,

"I shall become that which no mind conceived."


The Process of Transition

Transition is not simply the cessation of the intake of the breath or the circulation of the life-force. It is a process that involves the evacuation of the occult components within man's physical anatomy. These occult components for simplicity sake, may be called the soul, however, for the metaphysical student, a deeper understanding of the constitution of the soul must be acquired. The relationship and interaction between the immaterial aspect of man and the physical body must be known. How the spiritual components dissociate themselves from the physical body through the process of transition should be understood. It is the very presence of man's invisible forms and forces within the physical being that maintains the integrity and coherence of the particles forming the physical body. The absence of the magnetism, the electrical-force, and the energy-fields of the subtle bodies causes the dissolution of the physical form.

Psychologically, during the separation of the material and immaterial bodies, certain visions arise in the psyche. The nature of these visions are dependent upon the degree of man's inner purity. According to Tibetan Buddhists, how man responds or reacts to these visions determines the place of his abode in the higher realms. Man's moral character is the deciding factor of his place in the universal scheme. The fear of death and dying hampers the smooth transition into the higher worlds. Attachment to the world and earthly possessions causes an unnecessary prolonged struggle in the death process, and this delays soul release. Suffering and pain are expressions of this struggle. Man should learn to be detached from all mundane affairs and relationships during transition and think about spiritual matters--not because of the unimportance of the former, but because occupying the mind at the time of transition with spiritual aspirations and hope assists the soul-consciousness to release itself from some of the harsh phenomena experienced in the bardo. Passing over into a new realm is like being born into the physical world. The process is somewhat similar, and this is in accord with the law of correspondence and the Hermetic axiom, "as above, so below." When one is born into this physical world one goes through the birth canal; during transition one experiences a "tunnel-like" effect, a wormhole. During birth we are greeted by smiling relatives, likewise, the birth into a higher world surrounds us with people whom we love and who loves us.

Passing over is no panacea for the suffering soul who resorts to suicide to end its earth life. Suicide does not solve our emotional and mental problems, for wherever we may be, we take along with us our inner world, our thoughts and feelings. Our outer world reflects our inner mental and emotional state. Problems unfaced, will have to be confronted once again in another incarnation, this is to teach the soul certain lessons that it requires for its evolution, its spiritual growth. One's attitudes, reactions and responses to problems are the main thing and not the problems themselves.

The Spirit of man will not be cheated of its forces. Lessons to be learnt by the soul will repeat themselves until their essence has been assimilated, understood and wisdom gained. Suicide, therefore, should not be resorted to as an escape, for it causes spiritual stagnation. Suicides are treated as mental cases in the subtle worlds. According to psychic Donald Barrie, insane persons were suicides in past lives. Suicidal persons in the death process, like those who lived depraved, iniquitous and wicked lives, often encounter some of the most alarming visions in the bardo which includes the Judgment scene, where the conscience sits as prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner.

Death is a personal experience. Through it we come to know our true evolutionary status as a soul, and all of our glamours and delusions concerning personal glory would fail to aid us at the time of our transition. Our poverty or wealth of our spirit is seen and known to us and others on the Other Side.


The Nature of Life After So-Called Death

Humanity's concept of heaven is wrought with distortions of the true nature of the subtle worlds. There are many ideas concerning heaven that are disproved through the personal experiences of advanced psychics and mystics. It is, therefore, appropriate that people be informed and prepared for life in the other worlds, that they may know what to expect, that they may know how to function harmoniously therein, and the sort of activities that they may engage in. The higher worlds are worlds of activity. There is no rest there, unless we desire rest. Real rest is dependent upon the giving of another vehicle of the microcosm an opportunity for expressing itself. Overthere, we shall have the opportunity to be occupied with soul-improving activities. Laziness and idleness Overthere are treated as illnesses. Individuals expressing those states are directed to special classes to learn the purposes of life, that they be motivated to engage in some worthy endeavour.

There is not just one heaven or dimension in the higher worlds, there are many, and these are the "mansions" of Jesus' statement "in my Father's house there are many mansions." (John 14:2). St. Paul in his epistles mentions a third heaven; the Islamic tradition presents the Prophet Muhammad as visiting the seventh on a mythical creature--no doubt a symbolic description of the subtle body. Several "alams" or worlds are discussed in Islamic literature. Theosophy speaks of seven planes with seven sub-planes each, all of which constituting a cosmic plane. Hinduism also refers to the "lokas," to the many heavens as described in their scriptures. Swedenborg substantiates this truth in his spiritual works.

People will be disappointed if they think that the afterdeath state will provide them what they lack here and now. This is not to say that their dreams will not occur to some degree, or that their happiness may not be derived from some longed-for pleasures that Almighty God might manifest for them; what we are putting forth here is that the contents and quality of one's heart and mind determines strongly one's experiences in the heavenly world that one will live in. Purity in body, mind and soul begets a joyful experience in the higher heavens. Conversely, immorality and wickedness result in a life of misery in the lower astral realms. We carry our inner life to wherever we may find ourselves. There is no spiritual being to reward or punish us, we do this to ourselves by violating or living harmoniously with cosmic laws. To know where one would go, or to which heaven or plane one would reside, it is only necessary to look into one's mind and emotions, into one's character and personality, and there look for signs.

In the chapters ahead we will be discussing in more detail of the nature of life in the higher worlds. We feel that this subject is of some importance to metaphysicians, as they are often asked by individuals seeking information on the spiritual dimensions.


The Four Perspectives

Although there are various perspectives that death and the process of transition may be discussed such as the clinical, the cultural, etc. We will be dealing with the aforementioned themes from the following perspectives:

1) Religion/Mythology

2) Occult teachings in general

3) Lamaism, or Tibetan Buddhism

4) Parapsychology and modern research

Religion, generally speaking, offers us some information concerning the after death state with, regrettably, very little of the death process. However, it is important when dealing with religious concepts regarding death and the afterlife to be discerning and discriminative--to sift through fanciful ideas--of the many erroneous theological dogmas and concepts that had crept into the original teachings. Many statements in scriptures are not meant to be taken in a literal manner. Embodied within them are spiritual ideas that have to be intuited with the higher mind. Followers or devotees of religions often fail to understand this principle. They believe in the letter of the law without considering the underlying spiritual principle. The immortality of the soul has long been an essential tenet in almost all religious belief-structures. The ancient Egyptians, for instance, believed in it; they accepted that the heart-soul, the ka, the ba, and other components of the microcosm outlived the physical form for a longer duration, if not indefinitely. Thus mummification was instituted to preserve the body for the return of the incorporeal aspects of man.

Myths are allegories or parables containing spiritual wisdom. They often deal with the fall of the soul into matter, its resurrection, the manner of its redemption, and the nature of the higher planes. In the ancient Mystery Schools of Greece, such as the Eluesinian, Cosmic laws and principles were personified and enacted in dramas. The mystae, or the candidate to the mysteries who witnessed these dramas was urged by the accompanying guide to discern the Cosmic laws and truths embodied within them. Often in such initiatory schools, candidates were put into trance-like conditions where they acquired personal experiences of the externalization of their awareness-principle. Thus, those candidates to the Mysteries came to know the reality of their soul and its independence of the physical body through empirical knowledge.

Our treatment of mythology in this paper will be supportive in nature, emphasizing or stressing certain main points of our themes where needed. Regrettably, it is beyond the scope of this work to treat the subject exhaustively and completely in a satisfactory manner.

Occultism as a whole, offers us a great wealth of knowledge concerning the death process and the nature of the post-mortem states. There have been many eminent clairvoyants in the past such as Swedenborg and Andrew Jackson Davis who wrote about their experiences concerning transition and the astral planes as seen through their inner senses--not to mention their communications and interactions with the inhabitants therein. In the opening pages of his work, Heaven and Hell, Swedenborg declares:

". . . it has been granted to me to associate with angels and to talk with them as man, also to see the things in the heaven as well as in the hells . . . " (1958:3)

We are, however, indebted to Earlyne Chaney and her Mystery school, Astara, for most of our occult information concerning the mysteries of death. Information derived from her writings would greatly enhance the structure and support of our main themes.

Of all religions, Tibetan Buddhism seems to be the richest source of information concerning the death process. It possesses a unique conception regarding transition. It is for this reason that we will consider it separately, apart from the general view of religion, giving it a category of its own. From the religious viewpoint, we have, therefore, chosen to treat the subject of the process of death in a detailed manner from the Lamaistic perspective. The esoteric science of death, it should be known, is one of the secret traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Our main source of information on Tibetan thanatology and eschatology, is derived from the "Bardo Thodol," or "The Tibetan Book of the Dead"--as translated and edited by Evans-Wentz and his Tibetan colleague. We will also be appropriating the teachings and commentaries of various Lamas to supplement and give form to our main themes. Tibetans consider dying to be an art, just as the spiritual teachers of the Middle Ages did, calling it "ars moriendi." To the Tibetan Buddhists, the training of dying commences in the meditative life. This is the preparation of the awareness-principle for the bardos that it will undergo or the possible attainment of the "Clear Light" resulting in enlightenment. Aside from considering the role that the bardos play in the death process, we will, therefore, also comment in passing of this mystical art, of the preparation required for liberation in the bardo.

Although there have been many modern, scientific researchers delving into the mysteries of death such as Raymond Moody and Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, our principal sources of information will be derived from the works of Michael Newton, Ian Currie, and Filipo Liverziani as representative of the modern scientific approach. Investigations into psychic phenomena began way back in the last century when mediumistic activities began to flourish. Although many mediums and their displays of phenomena were found to be deceptions, a small percentage of occurrences were enough to convince psychic investigators of the survival of the personal-consciousness and in the reality of man's inherent psychic powers. Notwithstanding the findings of past investigators, however, we will, concentrate more fully on the research discoveries of the writers mentioned above, as they offer the appropriate support for our main themes.

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore

The Metaphysical View of Death and Life After Death Part 1

Humanity throughout the ages have seen death as something loathsome and gruesome; something dreadful, something preferable to avoid at all cost--that is, if a choice were given--but without any other option, are forced to succumb for lack of any power over its occurrence. Anticipating the termination of life at an unexpected moment and the possible prospect of annihilation of self-identity, humanity views death as a state or condition to be feared. This fear is sustained when all around, most of the dying are seen to seemingly suffer in anguish and in agony in the death process. The fear of death is actually man's fear of the unknown, and it indicates man's bondage to his ignorance which ultimately grows into superstitious expressions. Because of the underlying fear, man attempts laboriously to postpone death through medicine and other means; medical science has, however, not yet found a way to prolong life indefinitely--or to ease one's fears, to offer solace, or to answer profound questions regarding this ancient mystery. Knowing the true nature of death releases man from his bondage to his fears and to the clinging of his varied superstitions pertaining to it. Such knowledge based upon personal experience may be acquired--beliefs to the contrary places an illusory boundary upon the unfolding soul. Alice Bailey, writing for the Tibetan in "A Treatise on White Magic," refers to man's fears regarding death:

"The mind of man is so little developed that fear of the unknown, terrors of the unfamiliar, and attachment to form have brought a situation where one of the most beneficent occurrences in the life cycle of an incarnating Son of God is looked upon as something to be avoided and postponed for as long a time as possible." (1972:494)

We can see from her statement that one of the factors that causes man to struggle against death, is the attachment to form. The identification of the Self with the physical form misleads one into thinking that the dissolution of the physical body results in the annihilation of the Self. Sri Sankaracharya, the eminent exponent of Advaita Vedanta, taught that the deluded mind with its beliefs in the reality of form causes bondage to Maya, or Cosmic Illusion. Philosophically speaking, this is the state of duality, and unless man perceives the One Reality underlying the dualistic worlds, and as his true nature, he lives in fear and in a state of slavery. What is Real cannot be destroyed, what is unreal does not exist apart from our false perception and understanding. This is avidya, or ignorance. To apprehend the true state of things is to be truly liberated from death. One's consciousness is expanded and raised to a divine estate when Reality is known and death seen for what it really is. What Bailey does not mention is that the soul-process of "death" may be experienced in the meditative state. Mystics call this "dying while living," and advanced mystics have reached a state where they may predetermine and trigger the time and process of their physical and mystical deaths--these are executed with divine permission. Mystical deaths offers one the opportunity to acquire the beautific vision called Marifatullah by Islamic gnostics. We will not dwell on this mystical aspect in this paper but focus more on the physical side of death and dying.

Before continuing further, let us first provide a definition of the branch of study dealing with death. The study is properly termed, "Thanatology" (from Greek thanatos, "death"). The Encyclopedia Britannica explains it thus:

". . . the description or study of death and dying and the psychological mechanisms of dealing with them. Thanatology is concerned with the notion of death as popularly perceived and especially with the reactions of the dying, from whom it is felt much can be learned about dealing with death's approach . . . Generally, psychologists have agreed that there are two overall concepts concerning death that help in understanding the simultaneous processes of living and dying. The "my death versus your death" concept emphasizes the irrational belief that while "your death" is a certainty, an exemption may be made in "my case." The second concept, "partial deaths versus total extinction" stresses the belief that by experiencing the bereavement following the deaths of friends and relatives, a person is brought as close as possible to realizing "partial death." These experiences colour the individual's attitude toward greater personal losses, culminating with the ultimate loss, life itself.

"Thanatology also examines attitudes toward death, the meaning and behaviours of bereavement and grief, and the moral and ethical questions of euthanasia, organ transplants, and life support."

Thanatology deals with death from various perspectives, from the cultural and anthropological standpoint, the clinical, biological, religious, metaphysical, etc. Death itself is defined in dictionaries as "an extinction of life," the "ceasing to be."

Ordinarily, the average person would avoid talking or thinking about death. When chosen as a topic for discussion, for instance, the subject is frequently and promptly relegated to the background of life's many "evil" necessities and often spoken in hushed tones. Death has always been a taboo subject in unenlightened social circles. Man's present negative attitude and understanding of the nature of death may cause self-inflicted suffering, torment, and pain. Man's lack of understanding of the truth of death is mainly the result of a deficiency in the knowledge of spiritual verities, and in an absence of spiritual awareness. Religious doctrines and materialistically-oriented educational systems have inadvertently encouraged man's negative attitude towards death. They paint horrible conditions of the after-death state, ranging from eternal punishment and torture in fashions exceeding the cruelties and atrocities of the Inquisition, to the materialistic view of nihilism and annihilation. Religion and the academic institutions offer no real comfort or solace to those whose loved ones have faced the great change. The only recourse for individuals seeking a greater understanding of death is by acquiring metaphysical knowledge concerning its nature and by developing a greater awareness of multi-dimensional life; for life simply is, it cannot cease to be. Life is Real and eternal for it is not compounded. Forms are compounded, therefore, they are evanescent. Clinging and being attached to what is temporal, and from the point of view of the Absolute as "illusory," makes one often feel threatened to life's varied circumstances.

In order to be relieved from suffering in the form of bereavement and anguish, humanity as a whole would have to be re-educated as to the true nature of death, its value, its process, and regarding the state of life after the great transition. One's frame of reference for personal existence has to be expanded to include multi-dimensional worlds, to one's immortal aspect, and not circumscribed to physical matter. Concomitant to this cleansing process of the mind of its false beliefs and notions concerning death--both the result of social conditioning and brainwashing--there should also be a search, an investigation into the true purpose of life. For to pass through transition not knowing the purpose of one's personal existence is to have lived in vain. It is said that to die well we must first learn to live well, and this is true, for our negative karma and our wrong attitudes and apprehension of death causally leads us to pain and suffering in the bardo, the death process--of which we will deal in later chapters. For this reason it is incumbent upon us all to embark upon the study of thanatology--the science of death, as understood by metaphysics, to live a worthwhile life, to relieve the sense of suffering, and to efface our misgivings regarding death and the after-death state. Death is simply a transformation, a process analogous to a caterpillar-turned-butterfly through metamorphosis.

Our "fate" and experiences in the afterlife and in the death process are both determined largely by our karma, beliefs, knowledge (or lack of it), purity, righteousness, and understanding of the mission and purpose of our sojourn in the physical plane. Life in this physical dimension should be seen as an opportunity to mature and to liberate oneself from all mortal restrictions even though functioning through an organic vessel. Some people experiencing the vicissitudes and hardships of life often complain that it was not their wish to be born, implying that it was not their wish to live or to be here in this physical world, and yet, in this they contradict themselves by expressing a fear of death, saying that they do not wish to die--implying that they wish to live. Such inconsistencies reflect the state of non-awareness of spiritual realities and verities. Death should be perceived as an initiation into the higher mysteries of Nature. It is thus one of the most important events in one's spiritual journey. Mastery of one's life, of one's lower self, and service to the Higher Intelligences, is the wise preparation for this great initiatory experience.

In ancient cultures, the existence of the afterlife was taken for granted. In former eras there have been concepts or beliefs in the afterlife such as the "Happy Hunting Grounds" "Olympus" and the "Elysian Fields." The spiritual instincts of early and modern man have always rebelled against the idea of death, and rightly so, for death in reality is non-existent, but the average person is normally unaware and ignorant of this truth, or he chooses to ignore it for some unknown reason. Death should not be looked upon as an ultimate chapter or conclusion of one's life, for death is simply a change, a passing, a transition to a different plane of consciousness, a different dimensional activity. Orthodox, or conservative scientists in conformity with Einstein's equation, "E=mc2," tell us that nothing in the universe can be destroyed, that there can only be a transformation, a change or conversion of the patterns of energy-fields; this is the economy of life which is acknowledged as a law of the Cosmos; and yet, although furnished with this scientific theorem and understanding, these same scientists are skeptical concerning the survival of the personal consciousness or "awareness-principle," as Tibetan Buddhists designate it. Mainstream science, although faced with many positive data concerning the survival of the consciousness acquired by researchers in the paranormal and related fields, still express incredulity as to its reality. Why is it that the life-force, soul, and consciousness are not seen by these scientists as energy-fields, just as all objects down to their minuscule component, the electrons, protons and neutrons are known to be such? More succinctly, why do scientists not recognize the soul? Is it, perhaps, because of the unconscious opposition and antagonism towards Religion that has long persecuted Science in the centuries past? From the occult point of view, group minds form living entities or currents of energy with certain qualities in accord with the thoughts and feelings generated by the originators or individuals of the same group-mind. This is called an egregore. Such egregores may have an indefinite life span, living for centuries, and influencing all that comes within its mental and emotional force fields. It is through these egregores that an individual, a scientist, for instance, living in the distant past may influence a scientist living in the present. Prejudicial feelings toward Religion and its tenets, such as its declaration of the living soul that survives the dissolution of the physical body, may therefore, be carried from the past to the present. As can be understood from the above, the antagonism of scientists may not be truly directed to the concept of the afterlife, or soul-survival, but towards religion as a whole, and this discord is an unconscious feeling--the result of centuries of maltreatment in the hands of Religion--executed in the name of the Almighty.

Investigators and exponents of mainstream science, however, have not proved in their laboratories the cessation of life, and the non-survival of consciousness after death. On the contrary, they are very close to discovering and proving its reality and validity. It would seem that the Veil of Isis is thinning; nevertheless, the question of the survival of consciousness, we feel, can only be satisfactorily and adequately answered to us by personal experience--through phenomena such as NDEs (Near Death Experience) and the projection of one's consciousness and subtle bodies. Without personal experience there would be an element of doubt, the truth would elude our comprehension, and the false delude our understanding. Knowledge pertaining to the the truth of death eliminates fear, pain and sorrow. When one understands the nature and mechanism of life and death, one begins to lead a philosophical and mystical life, open to spiritual verities and impressions. One commences to live in harmony with the forces and laws of Nature, in accord with the purposes of the Divine Plan. Scientists would have to become philosophers and mystics in order to break through any bias constraining their minds from the truth of life after death.

It is a fallacy to think that the nature of death and the afterlife state cannot be known while one is embodied and functioning in the three-dimensional sphere. Religious fundamentalism, in general, would have us believe this. Man dies temporarily every night during the sleep-state, and he calls his activities during such a state as "dreams." Man practices death every time he enters the delta-theta state. Poor recollection of one's nocturnal activities results in an inadequate comprehension of the nature and relationship between sleep and death. Spiritual development improves the recollection of astral activities and the awareness of the "no-dream" state. Refinement of the soul disperses the etheric web at the crown chakra and forms a link between the brain and higher mind allowing for free movement of the personal-consciousness to higher dimensions without a break in awareness. Fundamentally, the only difference between death and the sleep-state is that death is the permanent evacuation of the awareness-principle from the physical body, whereas in sleep it is merely a temporary condition. In death the sutratma, or silver cord, snaps, and the personal-consciousness leaves the physical body to disintegrate and return to the ground from whence it came. In the sleep state, this cord which connects the physical body to the subtle bodies is maintained. Essentially, death is an illusion. Death is actually an interval between two states or planes of consciousness. It eventuates in the return of every component of the microcosm to its proper place. This truth is embodied in the poetic verse of Ovid:

"Four things of man there are: spirit, soul, ghost, flesh;

"These four, four places keep and do possess,

"The earth covers flesh, the ghost hovers o'er the grave,

"Orcus has the soul, stars do the spirit crave."

Man has the divine ability to be aware of his being as existing independently of the physical vehicle. This is accomplished in what has come to be called lucid dreaming and astral projection, or "OBE" (out-of-the-body experience) as a modern designation for the phenomenon. Like St. Paul, it is possible for all of us to say that we "knew a man who went to the third heaven," and hear of things not suitable for the non-initiate. Death is a change of focus of our consciousness, from one plane to another. This is also accomplished through the above means. Astral projection is an ability that all metaphysicians should seek to acquire--for it is educational and it opens-up avenues of services that one may render. Most, if not all mystical traditions teach of this occult ability. The practitioner of Taoist Yoga, for instance, learns in the course of his studies how to separate the soul and spirit from the physical body. Advance mystics and occultists are all able to function in full awareness in the physical, astral and mental worlds. Such individuals are not concerned with the arguments of materialists--arguments stating the non-survival of self, for every mystic knows the truth of the matter through personal experience.

Dying, to the initiate, is a science and an art. The technique of death is known to the inter-dimensional consciousness-traveller. The psychonaut is familiar with the many phases of the bardo that leads to one of the "six realms," or to liberation from the cycle of reincarnation. It is the reality of reincarnation that proves to us that we are no stranger to death. We incarnate and pass through the change of death repeatedly until we emancipate ourselves from the wheel of birth and rebirth. We have all met the angel of death countless times and shall meet that specter once again in the future. All religions refer to this life-death cycle, though some metaphorically.

Every metaphysician should be familiar with the subject of death, as understood in the esoteric sense, and as to its occult process. In the course of one's metaphysical ministry, one would often meet individuals suffering from anguish and bereavement. The metaphysician should be able to offer the kind of solace that goes beyond the service of the burial ceremony and the pronouncement of the words, "ashes to ashes, dust to dust . . ." To the dying, and those newly passed-on, the advanced metaphysician should act as a guide to the inner levels of being. He should play the role of Anubis, guiding the departed soul to its proper place. This should be an integral part to any last rites or sacraments given. There is much superstition, fear and ignorance regarding the nature of death among the masses. It, therefore, behooves the metaphysical counselor to play his or her part in enlightening society; and this ministration would benefit humanity as a whole. We feel that this paper should be written to remind metaphysicians of the importance of conveying the truths to the masses regarding the continuity of life, personal identity, and consciousness. One's professional image is enhanced when well-equipped with the requisite knowledge. Even though much has been written on the subject of death, with much invaluable information given, we take this opportunity to add some of our own insights and experiences to enrich the existing literature and the storehouse of humanity's learning.

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore